Heiden (Shinto)

A heiden(幣殿,offertory hall) is the part within a Shinto shrine's compound used to house offerings. It normally consists of a connecting section linking the honden (sanctuary, closed to the public) to the haiden (oratory).[1] If the shrine is built in the Ishi-no-ma-zukuri style,[2] its stone pavement is lower than the floor of the other two rooms, and it is called ishi-no-ma(石の間,stone room), hence the name.[3] It can also be called chūden(中殿) or in other ways, and its position can sometimes vary. In spite of its name, nowadays it is used mostly for rituals.